The announcement follows a visit from a candidacy committee from the
commission in February, in which a team of eight reviewers from the
United States ensured that the university is in compliance with
commission’s core requirements, selected comprehensive standards, and
the federal requirements.

Upon delivering the good news to the university, Prof. Hassan
Hamdan Al Alkim
, its president, stated, “I wish to express my
sincere thanks to everyone for the considerable effort which was taken
for us to achieve this significant milestone in the membership process.
We are now just one step away from fulfilling our goal of obtaining
institutional accreditation from SACSCOC.

“This progress is another indicator that we are steering this university
towards our vision of establishing it as a leading institution of higher
education through the impact of its education and research in the
region.”

Candidacy represents a notable achievement for the university, as it
continues its work to demonstrate compliance with the remaining
standards and requirements. Earlier this year, the university outlined
its ambitious plan of achieving SACSCOC membership by 2020, while also
earning ABET accreditation for all of its engineering programs and AACSB
membership for its School of Business.

The university’s ambition has led to remarkable growth since its
establishment in 2009, with a diverse faculty and student body, as well
as an expanding campus to accommodate the increased demand for an AURAK
education. A new building housing the School of Engineering, a new
auditorium and student center was inaugurated last year, while work has
already begun on the School of Business.

SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting
higher education institutions in the eleven Southeastern states of the
U.S.

AURAK is a government-owned university licensed by the United Arab
Emirates’ Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, based in
the northernmost emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. It currently offers 18
undergraduate programs and four master’s programs in a cross-section of
academic disciplines.